July 4, 1776

On this day in history in 1776 the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, which proclaimed the United States to be independent from Great Britain and its king.

The Second Continental Congress

The Continental Congresses

The Continental Congress was the government body for the original 13 American colonies and then the United States after the colonies had gained their independence. There were two main Continental Congresses known simply as the "First Continental Congress" and the "Second Continental Congress."

The First Congress included delegates from each of the thirteen colonies. They first met in 1774 in reaction to a series of taxes the British government was imposing. In 1775 the Second Congress met after the Revolutionary war had begun. In 1776 the body made the monumental step of declaring independence from Great Britain. In 1789 the Congress ratified the U.S. Constitution, after it repealed the Articles of Confederation that had previously been governing the country.

The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson and consisted of five sections: an introduction, a preamble, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Likely the most famous passage from the Declaration was in the preamble, which stated, "We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal." Although the delegates of the Second Continental Congress made some changes to the document the preamble remained completley in Jefferson's own words. The Congress officially adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776.